Spiritual and Psychological Support Sessions in Lebanon for Parishes’ Ministers and their Associates from Various Churches of the Middle East

As part of strengthening the spiritual and psychological accompaniment amidst the difficult living conditions that the region’s people are passing through due to the different deepening crises casting a shadow on them, the Middle East Council of Churches continues to implement the Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling Program. It is organized through various sessions aiming at training Parishes’ ministers to help people overcome the daily challenges with great hope and deep faith.

Hence, and under the title of “Then Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile” (Mark 6: 31), the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department implemented the second phase of the program, which sessions were dedicated to Parishes’ ministers and their associates from the Middle Eastern countries. It was held with the participation of 28 attendees from different Church Families, between Sunday 12 and Saturday 18 February 2023, at the St. Augustine Center in Kafra region, Lebanon.

This Ecumenical gathering included many sessions on various Ecclesiastical, spiritual, social and psychological topics. On the first day, the participants exchanged views, experiences and lessons learned from the meetings held in each country before participating in this gathering. The session was moderated by Sister Emily Tannous, Coordinator of the training sessions of the Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling Program. Then, a special session for spiritual and psychological accompaniment was implemented with Reverend Linda Maktabi and the Specialist Gabriel Issa.

The second day focused on the spiritual and pastoral discernment in the individual’s life dedicated to service, with Sister Nawal and Sister Jamileh Richa, who presented in their session types of collective discrimination in Church groups and committees.

The third day included a session on the keys to understand the emotional life, growth and maturity of the Church’ ministers, with Father Jean Kalach, who highlighted the approaches to understanding the relationships between those who need service and those who offer it.

On the fourth day, Father Maroun Moubarak, the Superior General of the Congregation of the Lebanese Maronite Missionaries, held a session on the prevailing culture of authority in our Churches, conditions of participation and Synodality, as well as the rules of communication and listening in our Ecclesiastical societies. Then, another session for spiritual and psychological accompaniment was implemented with Reverend Linda Maktabi and the Specialist Gabriel Issa.

On the same day, the Secretary General of the Middle East Council of Churches Dr. Michel Abs visited the participants in the St. Augustine Center. He presented a detailed overview of the MECC mission and work, stressing the importance of the Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling program. He also discussed about the issue of Christian immigration from the region, the MECC relief work in Syria following the earthquake that struck the North of Antioch, and expressed his view on the issue of authority in the Church.

On the last day, a session on life skills was organized. The participants were informed about the best ways to resolve conflicts and face the current circumstances in order to overcome all the challenges and daily pressures towards living in peace and faith.

The second phase of the Trauma Healing and Spiritual Counseling Program didn’t only include spiritual and psychological sessions. However, the participants also visited many Holy places and met with some Pastors working in them. Thus, Ecumenical pilgrimages were made to the Maronite Patriarchal Edifice in Bkerke and its museum, the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Lebanon Harissa, the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Cathedral for the Paulist Fathers in Harissa, the Shrine of Saint Charbel in Annaya, the Maronite Cathedral of St. Georges and the Greek Orthodox Cathedral of St. Georges and its museum, in the capital Beirut, as well as the Saint Mary and Saint Mark the Evangelist Coptic Orthodox Church in Sin El Fil.